አይጉጉ 💚 💛 ❤️

“When the Nazis came for the communists,I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. 1/2

Concern Regarding Treatment of Ethiopian Artist Teddy Afro and Associates Dear Secretary Marco Rubio, @SecRubio I am writing to express serious concern about recent developments in Ethiopia involving the well-known artist Teddy Afro (Tewodros Kassahun). According to multiple reports, there has been increasing pressure and harassment directed toward him. This situation has escalated with the arrest of individuals close to him, including his spokesperson and deputy manager, reportedly without clear charges. Most concerning is the reported forced entry into his private studio by individuals said to be in federal police uniform, where equipment and unreleased creative work were taken. If accurate, these actions raise serious questions about respect for rule of law, due process, and the protection of freedom of expression. Targeting artists or those around them for their work or viewpoints can have a chilling effect on creativity and public discourse. As someone who believes in the importance of human rights, artistic freedom, and democratic values, I respectfully ask that the U.S. Department of State monitor this situation closely and engage where appropriate to encourage transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law. Ethiopia has a rich cultural heritage, and voices like Teddy Afro’s play an important role in shaping dialogue and unity. It is important that such voices are protected, not suppressed. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, #Ethiopia #Eritrea #Ethiopian #Teddyafro #Ethiopianmusic @NeaminZeleke @TiborPNagyJr @mamamesay @iyoba4u @Chu62845022 @MogesTeshome10 @SenaitSenay @MeazaMohammed @ethiopianlions @DanielsonKassa1 @AddisZeybe @GurageFirst @MuhabaMuale @ethiopianlions @EthioJourney @DanielsonKassa1 @AltayeEthiopia @EliasMeseret @addisstandard @Addis_Media @MeseretMedia @Jawar_Mohammed @addisstandard @AsayeDerbie @reyotmedia @dawitawramba @StalinTeklu @DrTedros @meazaG_ @reda_getachew @GetachewAssefa_ @Alula_Solomon @Alula_Solomn @reda_getachew @RedwanHussien @AbiyAhmedAli @US_SrAdvisorAF @SecRubio @PMEthiopia @HabtamuAyalew21 @martinplaut @NobelPrize @EritreanPress @ifa_ethiopia @UN_HRC @HornReview @hrw

🎶        ዳ  ስ       ጣ   ል       /     አ     ን    ሳ    ው    🎶    𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗔 𝗪𝗔𝗞𝗘 / 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗚 𝗨𝗣 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛

ሰሚ ያጣው የክስታኔ ጉራጌዎች ግድያ! ላለፉት አራት ዓመታት በደም የጨቀየው የክስታኔ ጉራጌዎች ምድር ዛሬም ተከላካይ አጥቶ፣ ሰሚ ጠፍቶ ተጧጡፎ ቀጥሏል። ሕዝብን የመጠበቅ ግዴታ ያለበት መንግስት ሰላምና ደህንነት ማረጋገጥ ካቃተው የክስታኔ ጉራጌዎች ራሳቸው ተደራጅተው መከላከል ይችሉ ነበር። ነገር ግን እንኳን ሊታጠቁ ሊፈቀድላቸው በህጋዊ መንገድ የታጠቁትን ትጥቅ በመንግስት እንዲፈቱ ተደርገዋል። የክስታኔ ጉራጌዎች ከሚደርስባቸው ተደጋጋሚ ግድያ በተጨማሪ ሴቶች ይደፈራሉ፣ ባለሃብቶችና ታዋቂ ግለሰቦች ይታፈናሉ፤ ታግተው ከፍተኛ ገንዘብ ይጠየቃሉ፣ ማህበረሰቡን ያነቃሉ የተባሉ አባቶች፣ ወጣቶች፣ እና ታዋቂ ግለሰቦች ለተደጋጋሚ እስራት፣ ድብደባና እንግልት ይደረጋሉ። ድንበር ተሻጋሪ የተደራጁ ሃይሎች ከአንዳንድ ባንዳ የአካባቢው ተወላጆች እና አመራሮች ጋር በመመሳጠርና በመተባበር ህዝቡ ተረጋግቶ ኑሮውን እንዳይኖር ሃብትና ንብረቱን ያቃጥላሉ፣ ይዘርፋሉ፣ ያወድማሉ። ይህ ሕዝብ እያለፈበት ያለው ስቃይና መከራ እንዲሁም የኑሮ ሰቀቀን ከሚገለፀው በላይ እጅግ የከፋና አሳዛኝ መሆኑ በመንግስት የሚታወቅ ቢሆንም ጉዳዩ ለዜና እንኳን እንዳይበቃ ተደርጓል። የፌደራል እና የክልል መንግስት ለጉዳዩ እልባት መስጠት ካልቻሉ ጉዳዩ በቀጥታ የሚመለከተው የዞንና የወረዳ አስተዳደር ቁጭት የተሞላበት ጠንከር ያለ መግለጫ እንኳን ማውጣት አለመቻሉ ይህ ሕዝብ ቀጣይ የሚኖረው ህይወት ከግድያ፣ እስራት፣ እገታ፣ ሃብትና ንብረት ውድመት የተለየ ይሆናል የሚል ተስፋ የሚሰጥ አይደለም። ለአራት ዓመታት የቀጠለው የክስታኔ ጉራጌዎች የግፍ ግድያ ዛሬም ቀጥሏል። በዚህም ነሀሴ 29 ቀን 2017 ዓ.ም ከንጋቱ 11፡00 ሰዓት ጀምሮ በተከፈተ ድንገተኛ ጥቃት 11 ንፁሐን ዜጎች በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ በታጣቂዎች ተገድለዋል። በምሥራቅ ጉራጌ ዞን የሶዶ ወረዳ አዋሳኝ በሆነው ኦሮሚያ ክልል ምስራቅ ሸዋ ዞን ዱግዳ ወረዳ ''ጆሮ፣ ረቃና ወጂ መንጂክሶ'' በተባሉ አካባቢዎች በተለምዶ "ኦነግ ሸኔ'' ተብሎ በሚጠራው ታጣቂ ቡድን ነው ተገድለዋል የተባለው። ከግድያው በተጨማሪ በአካባቢው ነዋሪዎች ላይ ከባድ የአካል ጉዳት እና የንብረት ዝርፊያ የተፈፀመ ሲሆን ለጊዜው በውል ቁጥራቸው ያልታወቁ የአካባቢው ነዋሪዎችም ታፍነው እንደተወሰዱ ተነግሯል። በርካቶችም ግጭት ከተፈጠረበት አካባቢ ለቀው ወደ ሶዶ ወረዳ አቅራቢያ ከተሞች እየሸሸ መሆኑን የአይን እማኞች ተናግረዋል። ምሥራቅ ጉራጌ ዞን ከኦሮምያ ክልል በሚዋሰንባቸው በተለይም በምስራቅ ሸዋ ዙርያ ተደጋጋሚ ሰብአዊና ቁሳዊ ጉዳት መድረሱ ይታወሳል። #JusticeForGurage @EliasMeseret @DanielBekele @hrw @MeseretMedia Source : GURAGE News Network

Once again, Oromo Militants affiliated with OLA carried out a heavy attack on innocent Kistane Gurage civilians in Dugda Woreda, in the localities known as Joro, Reqa, and Weji Menjikso, which borders the East Gurage Zone of Soddo Woreda in eastern Gurage. According to information reaching us from the area, today, Nehase 29, 2017 E.C. (Ethiopian Calendar), starting from 11:00 AM, the group carried out a sudden, heavily armed attack. By the time this report was completed, 15 civilians had been killed in the assault. Other sources indicate that the group operates with impunity and instills terror among the population, and some of its members are considered dangerous entities who benefit from spreading fear. From the reports coming out of the area, the death toll has now risen to 15. Those whose deaths have been officially confirmed include: Mr. Alemayehw Megnase Mr. Abule Tulu Mr. Beri Tageze Mr. Gofte Endale Mr. Beriso Abebe Mr. Shekne Sima Of the 15 confirmed deaths, Beri Abebe was from Weji Menjikso, while the other five victims were from Joro Rega Kebeles. Although the kebeles differ by name, the area has previously experienced similar attacks during the rainy season, which resulted in multiple civilian deaths and extensive damage to property. Today's incident, unfortunately, continues that pattern. Many locals reported that the attackers abducted people, and some victims died while trying to escape. #JusticeForGurage #Kistane @UNHumanRights @hrw @amnestyusa @USEmbassyAddis

ጥቂት ማንነታቸው በሆዳቸው የቀየሩ አሽከሮች ከዚህ ቀደም ክስታንኛ ቋንቋ የትምህርት ቋንቋ ለማድረግ ስራዎችን በማደናቀፍ ይህን በመሪነት ይፈፅሙ የነበሩ አመራሮች እያሳደደ ሲያባርሩ ነበረ። አሁንም ባላቸው ስልጣንና ኔትወርክ ተጠቅመው የክስታኔ (ሶዶ) የሚታገሉ ልጆችን ማሳደዳቸውን ቀጥለዋል። ኬርታን በቶልቻ ለውጠው የክስታኔ ጎሳ የሆነውን ዱላ ምስጢራዊ የፓለቲካ መድረክነት ለመቀየር ቶልቻ የተባለ ባዕድ አጀንዳ ከባለጊዜዎች በማስመጣት ለፓለቲካ ትርክነት በመቀየር ክስታኔን ከጉራጌነት የመቀየር የማጥፋት ተልኮ አስፈፃሚ ሆነዋል። ጥቂቶች ይህ ሰው ህዝቡ ባደገበት አፍ በፈታበት በራሱ ቋንቋ እንዳይማር እና እንደይዳኝ መስራቱን ለመሸፋፈን ጥቂት የጥቅም ተጋሪዎቹን እና ክስታኔ ጠል የአላማ አጋሮዎቹን በማሰባሰብ አሁንም እየፈፀሙ ነው ያለው። ዛሬም የጎርደና ሴራ ተጠናክሮ እንዳይወጣ የሽማግሌ መዋቅሩን ጠርንፎ ወጥሮ በመያዝ ማደናቀፉን ቀጥሎበታል። ደጋፊዎቹ እና ጓደኞቹ በርታ የኛ ጀግና እያሉ እራሳቸውን እያታለሉ ነው:: ህዝብ የሰጣቸውን ስልጣን ተጠቅመው እነሱ በጎሰኝነት ፅንፍ ተሰባስበው ዘመቻ ከፍተው በግልጽ እየታየ እያለ የተቃወማቸውን ወይም ይቃወመናል ብለው ያሰቡትን በፅንፈኝፈኝነት ይፈርጃሉ። ከነሱ ትርክት እና ጥላቻ ወጥተን ስለእውነት ማሰብ እንጀምር እንዴት እንዳታለለ ማንነት እያስጣለ እንዳለ ይገባናል:: የጫት ቤት እና የግሮሰሪ ወዳጆቹን ጋር ሶዶ ክስታኔ በጠላት ተወጥሮ ሲገደልና ሲፈናቀል ነገር ግን እነዚህ መሪዎች ሲሸላለሙ ሲሞጋገሱ ማየት ይቆጫል:: አሁንም ለነገሱት ተረኞች ፍቅር ያላችሁ ወገኖቻችን እንዲሁ አደገኛ መዳረሻ ወዳለው የቅዠት መንገድ አብራችሁ ከምትጠፉ እንደ ወዳጅ ከቁልቁለት ጉዟቸው እንዲመለሱ ምከሯቸው። የጥፋት ተልእኳቸው ለምነው እንደ አፍላ ፍቅረኛ ችግር አልታይ አላችሁ። ከዚህ አብሮ ከመጥፋት አካሔድ ተያይዞ መትረፍ ይሻላል። ይሄ ሁሉ እየተፈጸመ ያለው በምሰራቅ ጉራጌ ዞን የመንግሰት ባለሰልጣን በሆነው በመሰለ ጫካ መሪነት ነው። #JusticeForGurage #Gurage #Ethiopia

😡😡𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 😡😡⁣ ⁣ This is Birtukan, a young woman from the Senan District, Eastern Gojam Zone in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Even in the face of a tumultuous childhood, Birtukan radiated a light of hope, with dreams soaring high and a heart overflowing with unwavering determination. Studying at Dembi Dollo University in the Oromia region, she was an outstanding sophomore. Her heart was set on becoming a pharmacist. She saw herself as a symbol of hope, a lighthouse of healing, and a comfort fountain. She had an unwavering resolve to mold her destiny with her own hands. But, on one fateful day, all of that was mercilessly ripped from her hands. The unrelenting violence of armed gangs, who are organized, empowered, and shielded by the federal and Oromia regional state authorities, destroyed her innocence, dreams, womanhood, and her humanity. With profound harshness, they destroyed Birtukan's world and turned her bright future into an unrelenting sink of suffering and despair. Apart from yearning for a hopeful future, one could wonder, what crime did she commit to deserve all of these? The answer was straightforward but profound: 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐌𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀. And for that, they unleashed a depth of suffering upon her that was unfathomable. They unleashed upon her a torment so horrific, so grotesque, it shattered the essence of what it means to be human. Her story briefly surfaced on EBS TV, a courageous expression of her truth, only to be rapidly silenced as the clip was ordered to be deleted, suppressing her voice once again. Her own testimony below reveals a nightmare so severe that words cannot fully capture her anguish. Armed gangsters kidnapped Birtukan and carried her far into the wilderness, where the terrible darkness of wilderness soon eclipsed the warm and youthful vibe of college life. Among the six college girls caught in that nightmarish existence, Birtukan was one of those whose freedom, dignity, and hope were mercilessly ripped away. Their captors deceived them, referring to their abduction as a “training.” A facade they employed to conceal the unimaginable terrors they had in plan for the girls. Birtukan and the other girls soon realized that what their tormentors referred to as “training” was nothing less than the total destruction of their womanhood and humanity. Days blurred into weeks. Weeks merged into months, each one heavy with the weight of time. The unrelenting passage of time just made their suffering worse. Their only option was to hang on to life, surviving on few scraps of bread their captors threw at them and the priceless drops of water they could gather in the large, hostile wilderness. Still, the agony of hunger was little compared to the deep grief of what loomed over them, night after night. Birtukan and her friends endured a relentless cycle of brutality so horrific that it is hard to comprehend. They endured unimaginable horrors and suffering at the hands of merciless gangs, day after day, night after night. They were subjected to a fate that stripped away their humanity, reducing them to nothing more than sex toys for the twisted desires of their captors. The viciousness was relentless. Birtukan’s tormentors went even further, as if the unimaginable horrors of repeated gangrape were not enough. On several occasions, when her body finally collapsed from pain and exhaustion, they drove knives into her flesh to force her awake and to make sure her suffering continued. Her agony was their entertainment, and her pain was their triumph. And still, the cruelty had no end. The injuries inflicted upon her went beyond repeated gang rapes. Her captors, who were determined to strip her of her dignity and humanity, mutilated her private parts with knives and shards of sharp iron. They left her bloodied and broken, and her body looked like a canvas painted with unimaginable pain. The anguish that tore through Birtukan’s soul cannot be easily understood by any reasonable mind. The terror, the degradation, the torment was so deep no human being should ever endure such horrors. Birtukan is now a mother of a three-month-old boy fathered by one of her rapists, which is a poignant reminder of the traumatic experience she endured. The world she lived in has shown no compassion; it has stayed cold and objective toward her suffering. For a young woman who has gone through such level of trauma, what words could actually help to heal her soul? How does society grapple with the profound truth of what she endured? Birtukan still carries her pain and trauma and showcases not just the visible scars of her abuse but also the profound wounds that may never fully heal. A Heartbreaking Injustice Against Amhara Women Birtukan’s story resonates deeply with many others. This is a piece of a larger, harrowing campaign of terror designed to shatter the spirit of the Amhara communities by the current regime. It represents a calculated effort to dismantle the essence of the Amhara community. The Oromia political class, which harbors these armed gangs, carries the heavy burden of one of the most horrific crimes in Ethiopia's history. Those who should speak up choose to turn their backs instead. Those who hold the responsibility to protect the vulnerable have chosen to ignore their anguish, allowing their cries for help to fade into silence. A Plea for Justice Every decent human being who values justice and the sanctity of human dignity should be touched by Birtukan’s story. It should ignite a fire within activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and politicians, urging them to take meaningful action. We must come together to seek accountability. The Ethiopian government must face accountability for permitting and even fostering such inhumane acts. Feeling sympathy for Birtukan is simply not sufficient. It is essential that we take steps forward. Steadfast, unwavering, and boldly decisive movement. Birtukan's suffering is profound. Her story reflects the strength of the human spirit, yet it is heartbreaking that she has to embody such resilience. She deserves the chance to find her tranquility. How many more Birtukans must endure pain before the world chooses to respond? How many more voices will be muted before we finally face the reality that lies before us? We must stand together for Birtukan's justice. We must stand up for the innocent Amhara women who endure their pain in silence, deserving of justice and recognition.

In early December 2019, members of the Oromo Liberation Army OLA kidnapped a group of students, primarily Amhara, from Dembi Dolo University in Ethiopia. This is the story of Birtukan, one of the abducted students. @BBCBreaking @amnesty

#Epiphany the baptism of Jesus Christ celebration in A.A #Ethiopia እንኳን ለብርሃነ ጥምቀቱ በሰላም አደረሳችሁ።

A regime-forced rally transformed into a massive show of defiance, with people expressing support for Fano and those sacrificing their lives to oppose Abiy Ahmed. They loudly condemned the regime's oppression, pledging to fight @AbiyAhmedAli

@RAS_EPHI ይሄ ሰው ማውራት ጀመረ ምነው 🤔 የተሰጠው ብር ጨረሶት ነው?

''ሰርተን ያገኘን ሰዎች አለን ተለውጠናል'' አለ ጫላ 🤭 እዚህ ጋር ደግሞ ሌላ ሰሎሞን 😂

No one has taken responsibility for this horrific and inhumane crime of genocide against Kistane Gurages. More than 60 Gurages slaughtered and burned alive by OLF and Oromia Special Forces. #GurageUnderAttack

ለካ በኢትዮጵያ ነብስም ደረጃ አለው!!!

Survivors of the recent OLA attack. #GurageUnderAttack @EliasMeseret @DanielBekele @HabtamuAyalew21 @EthioHRC

ከሰሞኑ የኦነግ ጥቃት የተረፉት የቢርቢርሳ ጋሌ ቀበሌ ነዋሪ ምስክርነት። #GurageUnderAttack @DanielBekele @USEmbassyAddis @hrw @UNHumanRights @EUCouncilPress

In Oromia neighboring kebeles, the horrific crime of genocide against the Gurages has continued to worsen. #GurageUnderAttack @amnesty @hrw @DanielBekele @iyoba4u @masbekele @GTW@W_Now @mohammed_meaza @MuleFeTg

Again yesterday evening on Friday 08/11/2024, Another ethnic based attack carried out by OLF armed forces in an area called meja in Dugda. It is not yet known how many innocent people died. #GurageUnderAttack @USEmbassyAddis @DanielBekele @UNHumanRights @hrw @EUCouncil

In Ethiopia, there is no government, there is no justice, the international community should pay attention to this humanitarian crisis. #GurageUnderAttack @DanielBekele @USEmbassyAddis @UNHumanRights @EUCouncil @hrw @UN @10DowningStreet @JustinTrudeau

It's heartbreaking. This is a barbaric act. Stop killing civilians‼️ #GurageUnderAttack @USEmbassyAddis @hrw @DanielBekele @UNHumanRights @EUCouncilPress @HabtamuAyalew21

Your contribution, whether large or small, can help provide essential resources for displaced individuals and communities. YeGordna Shengo A/N - 1000618185366

The two Amhara women journalists Meskerem Abera and Genet Asmamaw who have been unjustly imprisoned for over a year. Their detention highlights the severe repression of women's voices in Ethiopia's media landscape. #FreeTheAmharaJournalists #WomenInMedia #StopAmharaGenocide @amnesty @CPJAfrica @UNHCREthiopia @VOAAmharic @BBCAmharicNew